Method and apparatus for using a wireless communication device with multiple service providers

ABSTRACT

Configuring a mobile wireless communication device using a carrier service configuration profile selected from a set of stored carrier service configuration profiles. Carrier service configuration profiles are selected based on one or more combinations of identifier values stored in the mobile wireless communication device. Carrier service configuration profiles are priority ranked based on a specificity of the one or more combinations of identifier values.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/730,526, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING A WIRELESSCOMMUNICATION DEVICE WITH MULTIPLE SERVICE PROVIDERS,” filed Dec. 28,2012, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 8,750,873 on Jun. 10, 2014, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/765,648 of the sametitle, filed Apr. 22, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,346,255, issued on Jan.1, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/303,611, entitled “WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE” by Robert Kukuchkaet al., filed Feb. 11, 2010, each of which are incorporated by referencein their entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

The described embodiments relate generally to wireless mobilecommunications. More particularly, a method is described for configuringa mobile wireless communication device by selecting a serviceconfiguration profile based on stored identifiers.

BACKGROUND

Mobile wireless communication devices, such as a cellular telephone or awireless personal digital assistant, can provide a wide variety ofcommunication services including, for example, voice communication, textmessaging, internet browsing, and electronic mail. Mobile wirelesscommunication devices can also run a variety of applications that cangenerate and reproduce audio, video, pictures, graphics and text inmultiple forms, thus providing a user of the mobile wirelesscommunication device a content rich, multi-media experience. The user ofthe mobile wireless communication device can subscribe to one or moreservices offered by a wireless communication service provider thatenable the mobile wireless communication device to access differentresources through a wireless communications network. Each user'swireless communication service subscription can be customized to theuser's specific requirements. Some users can prefer a voicecommunication only service through the mobile wireless communicationdevice, while other users can subscribe to additional data services,such as access to the internet or unlimited text messaging. Servicesoffered to a user can depend on the capabilities of the wirelesscommunication service provider through which the user subscribes.

In order for the mobile wireless communication device to provide theuser access to services offered by the wireless communication serviceprovider, certain operational parameters can be configured in the mobilewireless communication device. Some mobile wireless communication devicemanufacturers customize mobile wireless communication devices forparticular wireless communication service providers within a country orgeographic region. With this customization, the wireless communicationservice provider can associate the mobile wireless communication devicemore closely with their brand and with a particular user experience. Themobile wireless communication device can be customized by loading aparticular set of operational parameters specific to the wirelesscommunication service provider at the time of manufacture by the mobilewireless communication device manufacturer. This customization method,however, can prove disadvantageous for the mobile wireless communicationdevice manufacturer can be required to configure and ship multipleversions of the same mobile wireless communication device, eachcustomized for a particular wireless service provider. It is preferableinstead to manufacture one (or a few) versions of the mobile wirelesscommunication device and to distribute generic versions of the mobilewireless communication device throughout the world. The mobile wirelesscommunication device can then be customized closer to or at the finalpoint of sale.

In addition, a user of the mobile wireless communication device canprefer to use the same mobile wireless communication device at differenttimes with different wireless communication service providers. Forexample, the user can subscribe to a primary wireless communicationservice provider at home and to a secondary wireless communicationservice provider when traveling abroad. At present, automaticcustomization of a wireless communication device's configuration candepend on a limited set of parameters stored in the wirelesscommunication device, thereby limiting the specificity of customizationpossible. Current methods cannot conveniently offer the flexibility tooffer different groups of users that use the same manufactured wirelesscommunication device on the same wireless communication network adifferent set of operational parameters, and thus a customized userexperience automatically without manual user intervention. Thus thereexists a need for a method to configure a wireless communication devicebased on a combination of identifiers stored in the wirelesscommunication device to provide a customized configuration of thewireless communication device.

SUMMARY

This paper describes various embodiments that relate to methods toconfigure a wireless communication device. A method to configure awireless communication device based on a combination of identifiervalues stored in the wireless communication device to provide acustomized configuration of the wireless communication device isdescribed.

In one embodiment a method of configuring a mobile wirelesscommunication device the method includes at least the following steps.In a first step, accessing a set of identifier values stored in themobile wireless communication device. In a second step, selecting a setof carrier service configuration profiles based on combinations of theaccessed set of identifier values. The carrier service configurationprofiles are stored in the mobile wireless communication deviceseparately from the identifier values. In a third step, configuring themobile wireless communication device using one of the selected carrierservice configuration profiles.

In some embodiments the method further includes a step of assigning apriority ranking to each of the selected carrier service configurationprofiles based on a specificity of the combination of identifiers usedto select the carrier service configuration profiles. Some combinationsof identifiers are more generic, while other combinations of identifiersare more specific. The mobile wireless is configured to use a carrierservice configuration profile with the highest priority ranking.

In another embodiment, a mobile wireless communication device isdescribed. The mobile wireless communication device includes at least aprocessor and a memory unit coupled with the processor. In the describedembodiment, the processor configures the mobile wireless communicationdevice by accessing a set of identifier values stored in memory unit,selecting a set of carrier service configuration profiles based oncombinations of the accessed set of identifier values, and configuringthe mobile wireless communication device using one of the selectedcarrier service configuration profiles.

In yet another embodiment, computer readable medium for tangibly storingcomputer program code executable by a processor for configuring a mobilewireless communication device is described. The computer readable mediumincludes computer program code for accessing a set of identifier valuesstored in the mobile wireless communication device, computer programcode for selecting a set of carrier service configuration profiles basedon combinations of the accessed set of identifier values, and computerprogram code for configuring the mobile wireless communication deviceusing one of the selected carrier service configuration profiles.

In still another embodiment, a method is described. The method can becarried out by performing at least the following operations. Providing amobile communication device having at least a first authentication codefor authenticating a user of a mobile wireless communication device to aprimary wireless communication service and a second authentication codefor authenticating the user of the mobile wireless communication deviceto a secondary wireless communication service, wherein the primary andthe secondary wireless communication services are different from eachother and wherein the primary wireless communication service is theuser's home wireless communication service, accessing a set ofidentifier values stored in the mobile wireless communication deviceassociated with the secondary wireless when the user is in an areaserviced only by the secondary wireless service, selecting a set ofcarrier service configuration profiles based on combinations of theaccessed set of identifier values, configuring the mobile wirelesscommunication device using one of the selected carrier serviceconfiguration profiles, and operating the mobile communication device inthe area serviced only by the secondary wireless communication servicewithout roaming.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention and the advantages thereof may best be understood byreference to the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile wireless communication device communicatingwith resources through a communication network.

FIG. 2 illustrates components of a mobile wireless communication device.

FIG. 3 illustrates a representative subdivision of a wireless networkamong multiple wireless communication service providers using a set ofidentifiers.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate formats of two identifiers stored in mobilewireless communication devices.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate formats of two additional identifiersoptionally stored in mobile wireless communication devices.

FIG. 6 illustrates a representative method for configuring a mobilewireless communication device using a set of identifier values stored inthe mobile wireless communication device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the concepts underlying thedescribed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled inthe art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some orall of these specific details. In other instances, well known processsteps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring the underlying concepts.

Mobile wireless communication devices, such as a cellular telephone or awireless personal digital assistant, can offer multiple communicationservices ranging from basic voice connections to text messaging tomulti-media internet access. While a single manufactured mobile wirelesscommunication device can include the capability to access a broadvariety of services, a wireless service provider can restrict access toa set of services to which a user of the mobile wireless communicationdevice subscribes. Additionally a wireless communication serviceprovider can prefer to customize operational characteristics of themobile wireless communication device when used on a particular wirelesscommunications network. Customization can include, for example, to whichshort message service (SMS) or voice mail server the mobile wirelesscommunication device points, or how the mobile wireless communicationdevice connects to internet access. A manufacturer can supply the samemobile wireless communication device to multiple wireless communicationservice providers, each provider requiring a different customization.Customizing mobile wireless communication devices at the time ofmanufacture can prove logistically complex; thus it is preferable tocustomize each mobile wireless communication device closer to the pointof sale to the user of the mobile wireless communication device.

Universal integrated circuit cards (UICC) are a form of “smart card”used in mobile wireless communication devices on various wirelesscommunication networks. A well-known version of a UICC is a subscriberidentity module (SIM) card that can be used in mobile wirelesscommunication devices on Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)wireless communication networks. Equivalents of SIM cards also includeUSIM cards on universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) networksand CSIM cards on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks. SIMcards can be issued by a wireless communication service provider to auser of a mobile wireless communication device. The SIM card can beinserted into the mobile wireless communication device and enable thatdevice to identify a user of the mobile wireless communication device asa subscriber of set of services offered by a particular wirelesscommunication service provider. In some configurations, a SIM card canenable a user to switch between using different wireless communicationdevices by simply removing the SIM card from a first device andinserting the SIM card into a second device. On some wirelesscommunication networks, a mobile wireless communication device can belocked to a particular wireless communication service provider's SIMcards, such as when purchasing a mobile wireless communication devicewith a service subscription contract from a particular wirelesscommunication service provider.

The SIM card contains a unique serial number known as an internationalmobile subscriber identity (ISMI) that can authenticate a user of amobile wireless communication device to a wireless communication serviceprovider through its wireless communication network. Portions of theIMSI can be accessed from the SIM card in a mobile wirelesscommunication device to configure the device for a particular wirelesscommunication service provider's network. Multiple wirelesscommunication service providers, however, can share a common wirelesscommunication network infrastructure, and current methods can onlydistinguish a particular network rather than an individual serviceprovider offering services through that particular network.

Thus there exists a need to more flexibly configure a mobile wirelesscommunication device using a combination of stored identifiers withinthe mobile wireless communication device, thereby enabling greatercustomization of mobile wireless communication devices for multiplewireless service providers using one or more different wirelesscommunication networks.

FIG. 1 illustrates a representative mobile wireless communication devicefor a GSM network labeled as a mobile station (MS) 103 formed using acombination of a mobile equipment (ME) 101 and a SIM card 102. Aplurality of mobile stations 103 can connect to a wireless communicationservice provider through an access network comprising one or more basestation systems 104, each base station system 104 built from one or morewireless communication radio antennas and base station controllers (notshown). Wireless communication signals from multiple mobile stations 103can be received and consolidated through the access network of basestation systems 104 and routed to one or more resources located across acore “transport” network 105. Resources that support a wide variety ofwireless communication services can include servers for voice mail andemail managed by a wireless communication service provider, illustratedfor example as an operator server 108. Other resources can includepublic data servers 107 available for access through the internet andprivate data servers 106 available for limited access through anenterprise network.

In today's deregulated telecommunications environment, equipment in eachregion can be owned and managed by different entities. Thus an endpointmobile station 103 can be purchased by a user through a retail outlet,for example an Apple iPhone™ manufactured by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino,Calif. The mobile station 103 can include a SIM 102 configured tooperate through base station systems 104 of a particular access networkowned by a wireless network service provider, such as AT&T in the UnitedStates. Alternatively an identically manufactured end point mobilestation 103 can be purchased by a user with a different SIM 102configured to operate on a different wireless network service provider'sinfrastructure, such as Rogers Wireless in Canada. Each mobile station103 can be identified and authenticated for use on a particular wirelessinfrastructure network based on identifiers stored in the SIM 102installed in the mobile station 103. The limited set of identifiers usedtoday, however, cannot distinguish between different wireless serviceproviders that use the same wireless infrastructure network, nor can aparticular wireless service provider differentiate between differentgroups of subscribers.

Wireless communication network providers can choose to offer differentservices to different types of wireless communication subscribers, suchas those that subscribe to a monthly pay service versus a pre-paidservice. Subscribers can have access to different resources through awireless communication service provider's network based on theirparticular subscription. In some cases, users can be required to modifyoperational parameters of the mobile wireless communication device toaccess certain services by manually changing settings on the device,which can be inconvenient for the user and prone to error. Wirelesscommunication network providers can also increase the use of theirwireless network infrastructure through partnerships with mobile virtualnetwork operators (MVNO) that do not own or operate a wireless network.An MVNO partner can share the same wireless infrastructure accessnetwork as the wireless communication network provider, and thus an MVNOcannot be distinguished from the wireless communication network providerpartner when only a limited set of identifiers stored in the wirelessmobile communication device are used. Expanding to customizing theoperation of a wireless mobile communication device based on a wider setof identifiers can provide a mechanism to distinguish among differentwireless service providers and among different groups of subscribers.

FIG. 2 illustrates a representative mobile wireless communication device200 that includes a processor 201 that can access information, such as aset of identifiers, stored in the SIM 102. The processor 201 canretrieve carrier service configuration profiles 205, also known ascarrier bundles, stored in a directory of system files 203 and/or in adirectory of user files 204 located in memory 202 of the mobile wirelesscommunication device 200. Each carrier service configuration profile 205can include settings customized for configuring the mobile wirelesscommunication device 200 to operate on a particular wirelesscommunication service provider's network. Carrier service configurationprofiles 205 can be general, such as for any user of a wirelesscommunication service provider's infrastructure network, or specific,such as for a select group of subscribers that can access a subset ofservices offered by an MVNO through a particular wireless communicationservice provider's infrastructure network. The mobile wirelesscommunication device 200 can store many different carrier serviceconfiguration profiles 205 at the same time. When the mobile wirelesscommunication device 200 recognizes a “new” SIM 102, such as whenpowering on the device or when inserting a SIM 102, a set of identifiersin the SIM 102 can be accessed to determine one or more carrier serviceconfiguration profiles 205 stored in the system files 203 or user files204 that can be used to configure the mobile wireless communicationdevice 200.

One mechanism to select which carrier service configuration profile 205to configure a mobile wireless communication device 200 can be based ona portion of the IMSI, namely the mobile country code (MCC) and themobile network code (MNC), stored in the SIM 102. Values for MCC and MNCare defined in international communication standards including ITU-Trecommendation E.212. For example MCC value 310=US and MNC value410=AT&T Mobility. An MCC/MNC combination can define a physical wirelessinfrastructure network. As more than one wireless network serviceprovider, e.g. multiple MVNOs, can use the same physical wirelessinfrastructure network, a value for the MCC/MNC combination cannotidentify a wireless network service provider with sufficientspecificity. Additional identifiers to the MCC/MNC can be used tospecify a particular wireless network service provider that offersservice through a wireless infrastructure network. Similarly identifierscan be used to specify a group of subscribers having a particularservice, or to whom a wireless network service provider wants to offer aparticular “user experience.” Rather than require a user to configuremanually the mobile wireless communication device 200, it is preferredthat configuration can occur automatically based on combinations ofidentifiers stored in the SIM 102.

FIG. 3 illustrates conceptually that a common wireless networkinfrastructure 300 can be shared among two different wireless networkservice providers A and B, and a combination of identifiers can be usedtogether to specify a particular set of operating characteristics of amobile wireless communication device. FIG. 3 illustrates Provider A 301,Provider B Feature Set 1 302, and Provider B Feature Set 2 303. The pairof identifiers MCC and MNC described earlier can be common to bothproviders A and B, including different service options offered byproviders A and B. A first additional identifier, (elementary file groupidentifier 1) labeled EF_(GID1), can be used to specify provider A or B,while a second additional identifier, labeled EF_(GID2), can be used tospecify between two different feature sets offered by provider B.Representative operational service characteristic customizations caninclude changing what information displays on a “home screen” of themobile wireless communication device 200 when connected to a particularwireless network service provider, such as AT&T or Rogers Wireless. Awireless network service provider can also require a particularapplication be loaded on the mobile wireless communication device 200when using their service. FIG. 3 illustrates a simple representativeembodiment, but additional identifiers and/or more complex combinationsof identifiers can be used to specify a set of operationalcharacteristics for a mobile wireless communication device.

FIG. 4A illustrates a format of an international mobile subscriberidentity (IMSI) 401 specified in the international telecommunicationsrecommendation ITU-T E.212 for a SIM 102. The first three digits of theIMSI 401 can specify a mobile country code (MCC) 402. The next two orthree digits of the IMSI 401 following the MCC 402 can specify a mobilenetwork code (403). The final set of not more than 10 digits can specifya mobile subscriber identification number (MSIN) 404. A country or aregion can be associated with one or more MCC 402 values. For example,US can be assigned MCC 402 values between 310 and 316, while Canada andMexico can be assigned values 302 and 334 respectively. Mobile networkcodes 403 can be two digits, such as used in the European Union, orthree digits as used in North America. Multiple MNC 403 values can beassociated with a wireless mobile network service provider, such as forAT&T Mobility that operates multiple wireless infrastructure networks indifferent geographic regions of the US. A combination of MCC 402 and MNC403 values can specify a particular wireless network service providerthat owns and manages a physical wireless infrastructure network. TheMCC/MNC combination, however, cannot specify an MVNO that uses the samewireless infrastructure network.

In addition to the IMSI 401, a SIM 102 can include a 19-20 digitintegrated circuit card identifier (ICC-ID) 410 specified in ITU-Trecommendation E.118 as illustrated in FIG. 4B. The ICC-ID 410 beginswith a two digit major industry identifier (MII) 411, which is assignedthe value 89 for telecommunications in the ISO/IEC 7812-1 standard.Following the MII 411 is a 1 to 3 digit country code 412 defined byITU-T recommendation E.164. These country codes do not have the samevalues as the MCC 402 values used in the IMSI 401. After the countrycode 412, an issuer identifier 413 of a variable length can be used.Each country or regional zone can use a different length issueridentifier 413, although all issuer identifiers 413 within a country orregional zone can use the same number of digits. The MII 411, countrycode 412 and issuer identifier 413 together can form a maximum 7 digitprefix 415 for the ICC-ID 410. A variable length individual account ID414 can follow the prefix 415. Each issuer can use the same lengthindividual account ID 414. While the same identification informationincluded in the MCC 402 and MNC 403 pair can be derived from the countrycode 412 and issuer identifier 413 in the ICC-ID prefix 415, there canbe some difficulty parsing the ICC-ID prefix 415. Thus, the ICC-IDprefix 415 can be considered a separate piece of information from theMCC 402 and MNC 403. A particular MCC 402 and MNC 403 combination ofvalues can specify a physical wireless infrastructure network, while anICC-ID prefix 415 value can specify a wireless network service providerincluding an MVNO. Thus the ICC-ID prefix 415 can provide a morespecific identification.

FIGS. 5A and 5B outline formats for two identifiers, optionally storedin SIM 102 cards, described in the 3GPP TS 31.102 wireless communicationstandard. The first identifier EF_(GID1) 501 (elementary file groupidentifier 1) can vary in length from 1 to n bytes. Similarly the secondidentifier EF_(GID2) 502 (elementary file group identifier 2) can rangefrom 1 to n bytes. These two elementary file group identifiers can beused to specify a subset of SIM 102 cards having a particular property,such as a subset of SIM 102 cards associated with a particular wirelessnetwork service operator that cannot be specified by an MCC/MNCcombination or a subset of SIM 102 cards having a specific set ofoperational parameters for a service. As the length of these groupidentifiers is arbitrarily long, a fine degree of specificity can beachieved when selecting a carrier service configuration profile withwhich to configure a wireless mobile communication device 200. Thisspecificity can be realized by combining values for these elementaryfile group identifiers with values for the MCC 402, the MNC 403 and theICC-ID prefix 415.

The system files 203 and user files 204 stored in memory 202 on themobile wireless communication device 200 can include a set of carrierservice configuration profiles 205. In an embodiment, the carrierservice configuration profiles 205 can be files labeled with a series ofidentifiers. For example a file name for a particular carrier serviceconfiguration profile 205 can include a combination of values for one ormore of MCC 402, MNC 403, EF_(GID1) 501, EF_(GID2) 502 and ICC-ID prefix415. Carrier service configuration profiles 205 labeled with only valuesfor MCC 402 and MNC 403 can provide a more generic configuration for themobile wireless communication device 200, while carrier serviceconfiguration profiles 205 labeled with values for MCC 402, MNC 403,EF_(GID1) 501 and EF_(GID2) 502 can provide a more specificconfiguration. A hierarchy of specificity for carrier serviceconfiguration profiles 205 can be ranked from more generic to morespecific as follows: MCC/MNC only (more generic), MCC/MNC+ICC-ID prefix,MCC/MNC EF_(GID2), MCC/MNC+EF_(GID1), MCC/MNC EF_(GID1)+EF_(GID2) (morespecific).

A set of candidate carrier service configuration profiles 205 can bedetermined by searching for any carrier service configuration profile205 with a matching pair of MCC 402 and MNC 403 values to thosecontained in the SIM 102 card of a mobile wireless communication device200. Matching carrier service configuration profiles 205 can include,for example, those that match with MCC/MNC only, as well as those withgreater specificity such as MCC/MNC/EF_(GID1)/EF_(GID2). In order toconfigure the mobile wireless communication device 200, oneconfiguration profile from the set of candidate carrier serviceconfiguration profiles 205 that match the MCC 402 and MNC 403 pair canbe selected by assigning a numerical priority ranking score to eachcandidate carrier service configuration profile 205 based onspecificity. As an example, a carrier configuration service profile 205that matches on MCC/MNC only can be assigned a priority ranking score of50 while a carrier service configuration profile 205 that matches onMCC/MNC/EF_(GID1)/EF_(GID2) can be assigned a priority ranking score of90. Other carrier service configuration profiles 205 with intermediatespecificity can be assigned priority ranking scores in between. As oneexample, a carrier service configuration profile 205 that matches basedon MCC/MNC/EF_(GID1) or MCC/MNC/EF_(GID2) can be assigned a priorityranking score of 80, while a carrier service configuration profile 205that matches based on MCC/MNC/ICC-ID can be assigned a ranking of 70.Ideally, one carrier service configuration profile 205 has a highestpriory score ranking and that carrier service configuration profile 205can be used to configure the mobile wireless communication device 200;however, multiple carrier service configuration profiles 205 can havethe same priority ranking, in which case a version number for thecarrier service configuration profiles 205 can be read to determine themost recently updated one to use.

The directories of system files 203 and user files 204 located in memory202 of the mobile wireless communication device 200 can be updated inthe field, for example by synchronizing the mobile wirelesscommunication device 200 through an update from the wireless servicenetwork provider to which the user (as identified by the IMSI in the SIM102) subscribes for wireless service. This update can be accomplishedautomatically in the background, without user intervention, by sending aseries of short message system (SMS) messages. Alternatively, an updatecan occur when synchronizing the mobile wireless communication device200 with a computing device (such as a personal computer on which backupfiles are stored). A user can also actively request updates.

Typically carrier service configuration profiles 205 in the system files203 directory can be updated when updating a systems software versionfor the mobile wireless communication device 200. Carrier serviceconfiguration profiles 205 in the user files 204 directory can beupdated through a computing device synchronization or background processwith the service provider. As such, both the system files 203 directoryand the user files 204 directory can be searched when looking formatching candidate carrier service configuration profiles 205. In someembodiments, it is preferred that a system reboot of the mobile wirelesscommunication device 200 not be required to change the carrier serviceconfiguration profile in use. Certain wireless service functions, forexample enabling an advanced service such as video multimedia messagingservices (MMS), can require using a new carrier service configurationprofile 205. In some embodiments, a user can select a particular servicefeature and receive an updated carrier service configuration profile 205with which to configure the mobile wireless communication device 200 touse the particular service feature.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of configuring a mobile wirelesscommunication device 200 using a set of identifiers. In step 601 a setof identifier values stored in the mobile wireless communication device200 can be accessed. In step 602 a set of carrier service configurationprofiles 205 stored in the mobile wireless communication device 200 canbe selected based on combinations of the accessed identifier values. Instep 603 each of the selected carrier service configuration profiles 205can be priority ranked based on a range of specificity for matching thecarrier service configuration profile 205 to the combination of accessedidentifier values. In step 604, the mobile wireless communication device200 can be configured using the highest ranked wireless serviceconfiguration profile 604. In some embodiments, when more than onewireless service configuration profile 604 have the same highestranking, a most recent wireless service configuration profile 604 havingthe highest ranking can be used for configuring the mobile wirelesscommunication device 200.

In addition to differentiating between a wireless service provider thatowns and operates its own wireless infrastructure network from an MVNO,the described wireless carrier service configuration method can providecustomization for large enterprise customers of a wireless serviceprovider. An enterprise customer can have a contract with a wirelesscommunication service provider to offer specific services to theiremployees on a set of mobile wireless communication devices. As oneexample, the carrier service configuration profile 205 specific to theenterprise customer on the particular carrier's network can direct themobile wireless communication device 200 to use a specific set of secureservers for electronic mail synchronization. This can be accomplished byincluding specific values for the identifiers EF_(GID1) 501 andEF_(GID2) 502 stored in the SIM 102 card on the mobile wirelesscommunication devices 200 supplied to the enterprise customer.

In some embodiments, a mobile wireless communication device 200 caninclude multiple IMSI 401 values on the same SIM 102 card. A user of themobile wireless communication device 200 can, for example, subscribe toa service whereby one wireless infrastructure network can be used as a“home” network (identified by one IMSI 401) and a different wirelessinfrastructure network can be used as a “visiting” network (identifiedby a second IMSI 401), without incurring roaming charges. This dual IMSI401 arrangement can occur through partnering agreements between the twowireless communication service providers that own and manage the twodifferent wireless communication networks. Certain service features,however, for the user of the mobile wireless communication device 200can require different operating characteristics for each network onwhich the mobile wireless communication device 200 is used. As oneexample, an MMS service can require the mobile wireless communicationdevice 200 to point to a set of MMS servers located on the “home”network rather than a set of MMS servers used by the “visiting” network.The identifiers EF_(GID1) 501 and EF_(GID2) 502 stored in the SIM 102card can be used to select a carrier service configuration profile 205that correctly configures the mobile wireless communication device 200.Thus, in some embodiments, certain services can depend on the MCC 402and MNC 403 values, while other services can depend on the EF_(GID1) 501and EF_(GID2) 502 values. As an example, assume Rogers Wirelesscorresponds to an MCC/MNC value of 302/720 and Movistar corresponds toan MCC/MNC value of 334/03. If Rogers Wireless has an agreement withMovistar, whereby subscribers to Rogers Wireless service can accesscertain services on the Rogers Wireless network, even when the user isoperating the mobile wireless communication device 200 on the Movistarnetwork, then the EF_(GID1) 501 and EF_(GID2) 502 values stored in theSIM 102 card can be associated with distinguishing such a service. Forexample, an EF_(GID1)/EF_(GID2) value of 1111/2222 can correspond toaccess to Rogers Wireless MMS servers when combined with MCC/MNC valuesof 302/720 (on Rogers Wireless network) or 334/03 (on Movistar network).

Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented bysoftware, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Thedescribed embodiments can also be embodied as computer program code on acomputer readable medium for configuring a mobile wireless communicationdevice. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that canstore data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examplesof the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-accessmemory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical data storage devices.The computer readable medium can also be distributed overnetwork-coupled computer systems so that the computer program code isstored and executed in a distributed fashion.

The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of thedescribed embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Theforegoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specificdetails are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, theforegoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present inventionare presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formsdisclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art thatmany modifications and variations are possible in view of the aboveteachings.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention andvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for configuring a wireless communicationdevice, the method comprising: at the wireless communication device:identifying, in a storage module of the wireless communication device, aset of carrier service configuration profiles based on a combination ofvalues for (i) a set of generic identifiers and (ii) at least oneadditional identifier; selecting a carrier service configuration profilethat specifies a particular set of operating characteristics for thewireless communication device from the set of carrier serviceconfiguration profiles; and configuring the wireless communicationdevice using the selected carrier service configuration profile, whereinthe set of generic identifiers comprises a Mobile Country Code (MCC)identifier and a Mobile Network Code (MNC) identifier, and wherein theat least one additional identifier comprises one or more elementary filegroup identifiers, and wherein the one or more elementary file groupidentifiers comprise a first elementary file group identifier thatspecifies a wireless carrier, and a second elementary file groupidentifier that specifies a particular feature set offered by thespecified wireless carrier.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theconfiguring of the wireless communication device using the selectedcarrier service configuration profile occurs automatically withoutnetwork control during the configuring.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the selected carrier service configuration profile comprises oneor more operational service characteristic customizations.
 4. The methodof claim 3, wherein the one or more operational service characteristiccustomizations include at least one of a home screen to be displayed atthe wireless communication device and an application to be loaded at thewireless communication device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein: thestorage module of the wireless communication device comprises aSubscriber Identity Module (SIM) card; and the at least one additionalidentifier further comprises an integrated circuit card identifier thatis stored in the SIM card as identifying information within anIntegrated Circuit Card Identifier (ICC-ID) prefix.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein: the wireless communication device is configured tostore a plurality of carrier service configuration profiles; and the setof generic identifiers in combination with the at least one additionalidentifier corresponds to only one carrier service configuration profileof the plurality of carrier service configuration profiles stored in thestorage module of the wireless communication device.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, the method further comprising determining a priority ranking ofcarrier service configuration profiles that is based in part on thecombination of values for (i) the set of generic identifiers and (ii)the at least one additional identifier.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the combination of values for (i) the set of generic identifiersand (ii) the at least one additional identifier comprises a combinationof values for MCC and MNC, combined with a) either a value of the firstelementary file group identifier and/or a value for the secondelementary file group identifier, or b) a value for an integratedcircuit card identifier.
 9. A wireless communication device, comprising:one or more processors; a storage device storing executable instructionsthat, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the wirelesscommunication device to: identify, in a storage module of the wirelesscommunication device, a set of carrier service configuration profilesbased on a combination of values for (i) a set of generic identifiersand (ii) at least one additional identifier; select a carrier serviceconfiguration profile that specifies a particular set of operatingcharacteristics for the wireless communication device from the set ofcarrier service configuration profiles; and configure the wirelesscommunication device for a specific wireless carrier using the selectedcarrier service configuration profile, wherein the set of genericidentifiers comprises a Mobile Country Code (MCC) identifier and aMobile Network Code (MNC) identifier, and wherein the at least oneadditional identifier comprises one or more elementary file groupidentifiers, and wherein the one or more elementary file groupidentifiers comprise a first elementary file group identifier thatspecifies a wireless carrier, and a second elementary file groupidentifier that specifies a particular feature set offered by thespecified wireless carrier.
 10. The wireless communication device ofclaim 9, wherein the at least one additional identifier furthercomprises an integrated circuit card identifier that is stored in anidentity module as identifying information within an Integrated CircuitCard Identifier (ICCID) prefix.
 11. The wireless communication device ofclaim 9, wherein: the storage device is configured to store a pluralityof carrier service configuration profiles; and at least one genericidentifier of the set of generic identifiers corresponds to multiplecarrier service configuration profiles of the plurality of carrierservice configuration profiles stored in the storage device.
 12. Thewireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the at least onegeneric identifier in combination with the at least one additionalidentifier corresponds to only one carrier service configuration profileof the plurality of carrier service configuration profiles stored in thestorage device.
 13. The wireless communication device of claim 9,wherein the wireless communication device is automatically configuredwithout network control during the configuring.
 14. The wirelesscommunication device of claim 9, wherein the selected carrier serviceconfiguration profile comprises one or more operational servicecharacteristic customizations that include at least one of a home screento be displayed at the wireless communication device and an applicationto be loaded at the wireless communication device.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium storing executable instructions that, whenexecuted by one or more processors of a wireless communication device,causes the wireless communication device to: identify a set of genericidentifiers in a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) of the wirelesscommunication device; determine when at least one additional identifierexists in the SIM of the wireless communication device and provides forcarrier-specific identification; combine the set of generic identifiersand the at least one additional identifier to create a set of complexidentifiers that specify operational service characteristics for thewireless communication device; select a complex identifier thatdetermines a carrier service configuration profile; and configure thewireless communication device for a specific wireless carrier using thecarrier service configuration profile, wherein the set of genericidentifiers comprises a Mobile Country Code (MCC) identifier and aMobile Network Code (MNC) identifier, and wherein the at least oneadditional identifier comprises one or more elementary file groupidentifiers or an integrated circuit card identifier, and wherein theone or more elementary file group identifiers comprise a firstelementary file group identifier that specifies a wireless carrier, anda second elementary file group identifier that specifies a particularfeature set offered by the specified wireless carrier and the integratedcircuit card identifier comprises an Integrated Circuit Card Identifier(ICC-ID) prefix of the SIM.
 16. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 15, wherein the set of generic identifiers correspondsto multiple carrier service configuration profiles stored in the SIM ofthe wireless communication device.
 17. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 16, wherein the set of generic identifiers incombination with the at least one additional identifier corresponds toonly one carrier service configuration profile of the multiple carrierservice configuration profiles.